Hundreds of local residents might feel like they just read their own obituary in the newspaper. ...more

November 21, 2008

Don't write its obituary. Because the Christian Science Monitor, a venerable 100-year publication, isn't dead. ...more

November 8, 2008

Only one local newspaper will print an obituary without editing out individual spiritual beliefs and opinions. You must pay for the obituary to have it printed verbatim, because the paper is owned by a drastically liberal media giant. 2. Unless you are a dependent under age 25 and living at home or you are a surviving spouse, you cannot bring litigation against a hospital, doctor, nurse, etc. 3. If you engage an attorney who agrees to a 33 1/3 percent contract, that becomes 40 percent to the attorney when the case is actually filed. 4. If someone you care about is admitted to a hospital and they are ectomorphic (thin of stature, under-nourished, etc.) the medical personnel will not turn these people every 2-4 hours to prevent pressure sores (bed sores.) The sacrum area and the heels should be rubbed with lotion at least every four hours and constantly monitored. ...more

October 3, 2008

Obituaries usually aren't about someone's death so much as about his or her life and family. From both standpoints, these newspaper notices are extremely valuable to genealogists. ...more

September 21, 2008

A 1-year-old baby who investigators think might have been the victim of shaken-baby syndrome at a Palm Harbor home day care center died over the weekend, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. ...more

September 2, 2008

Two longtime friends of mine died last week. One was the renowned cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey. I first met him as a young reporter in Houston in the late '60s and we kept up over the years. He lobbied me to write about health issues and the importance of research. I occasionally asked him for medical advice, which he was always happy to give. A brilliant man with fingers so long he might have been a concert pianist, Dr. DeBakey invented many of the instruments now used in operating rooms and pioneered procedures that have extended human life. ...more

July 16, 2008

To begin with, if this sounds like an obituary, I apologize. That's not my intent. It's just that sometimes there's a bit of sadness when change comes after years of good times. ...more

July 13, 2008

Really, I thought I would have grown up by now. I mean, in most respects, I have. I'm married. I have a job. And a mortgage. And a minivan. ...more

June 26, 2008

"Newspapers serve up a daily slice of life, and some of them – just like people and neighborhoods – flourish, grow old and die." That was the opening line for the final story of the final edition of The Tampa Times that Aug. 14 back in 1982. The story was written by Bob Turner and was under the headline "So long and 30 from Times." ...more

December 18, 2007

Family and friends of Jonnie Kaye Howell are mourning her loss this week. ...more

October 11, 2007